This invention relates to vending machines, and, in one aspect, to a multi-chamber vending machine in which a plurality of chambers are located inside a single housing.
It is common in the art to provide a plurality of small, independent vending machines mounted together on a single structure. Each of the vending machines has its own opening for filling the machine, its own opening for vending, and its own coin collection receptacle. In order to fill these machines, an operator must therefore open one fill door for each machine, and, in order to collect the money, he or she must open one coin lock door for each machine. This procedure is time consuming and is an inefficient use of manpower.
In addition, in machines of the prior art, the chamber which holds the goods over the vending wheel is often made to be relatively small. This is due at least in part to the fact that a heavy load of articles on the wheel tends to cause the vending wheel to jam. The effect is that the machine must be filled often, thereby compounding the inefficiency in use of manpower.
A related problem in the art is the difficulty of obtaining access to the machine interior (e.g. to clear a jam or to change a display). This can be especially difficult when the machine is partially filled.